Form fitting shoe structure



May 28, 1963 F. M. GlLKERsoN 3,091,042

FORM FITTING SHOE STRUCTURE Filed April 4. 1960 Z @gli ze /NV'E NTOIQ:FRANC/5 M. G/LKE R50/4,

19T-ro RNEYS gLMZ Patented May 28, 1963' 3,991,042 FORM FETTING SHQESTRUCTURE Francis M. GiLzerson, Box 405, Chesteriield, Mo. Filed Apr. 4,1960, Ser, No. 19,764 4 Qlaims. (Cl. .3G-2.5)

The present invention relates generally to the shoe art, and moreparticularly to a novel shoe structure incorporating a novel insolestructure produced under known production methods.

-It has long been desirable to provide a stock shoe by presentproduction methods for the general trade, which is effectively formiitting as to the insole, yet has the external appearance of theaccepted shoe of today. It has been desirable to provide a shoeincluding an insole having a substantial support for the longitudinalarch and formed generally to keep the entire foot in a balanced positionto prevent the foot from slipping sideways or longitudinally in theshoe. It is also desirable that the provision thereof not interfere withpresent day conventional mass production methods, styling, or fitting ofshoes. There has long existed the need for a shoe which properlypositions the normal foot of a wearer, which can be purchased at theusual retail outlets, and which has the external appearance and style,as desired, of current shoes. Special orthopedic shoes can be purchasedand various inserts are available, but a `shoe providing properpositioning of the foot and maximum comfort for the run-of-the-millpurchaser is not available as a stock item in the retail stores today.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel shoeconstruction which fuliills the long felt need as set forth in theforegoing paragraph.

In brief, the present novel shoe construction includes a premoldedinsole formed, for example, of a suitable cork and rubber compound, orthe like, which is contoured to provide a substantial support andnatural fit for the longitudinal arch and to keep the entire foot in abalanced position, yet the interior over-all measurements of thefinished shoe product are substantially the same as that of a comparableshoe using a conventional insole. The outside measurements, appearance,and styling of the shoe are not changed. In making the shoe with theinsole thus contoured, a mod-ined last is provided. A conventional lastis feathered or reduced around the circumference or border of the sole,and the central area thereof is filled so that a convex, transversecross section is achieved. Lasts of such predetermined modified bottomform'may be provided by the last maker. Insoles are cast in molds madefrom the modified lasts, said insoles, in' general, being concave in theforepart and heel areas and arched intermediate thereof to support thelongitudinal arch of the foot.

Another object is to provide a novel shoe structure in a stock shoewhich includes an insole that will prevent the foot from slippinglaterally or longitudinally in the Wear thereof, and which has 'a crosssection `area. substantially equd to that of a comparable conventionalinsole.

Another object is to provide a novel cast insole for a stock shoe whichis form fitting for the bottom of a normal foot, which will not lumpunder the toes of the wearer, thereby `decreasing wear on the outersole, and which substantially `eliminates running over to the inside orto the outside of the foot.

Another object is to provide a novel shoe structure, which properlypositions the foot of a wearer in a stock shoe, yet offers nointerference to the usual methods of making or styling shoes in the massproduction methods of today.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages are apparent from thefollowing description taken with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a conventional last;

FIGURE Z is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the conventional lastafter modiiication in accordance with the present novel method of makinga for-m iitting precast insole;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged bottom plan View of the last of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal, vertical, cross-sectional view taken on theline 4--4 of FIGURE 3, the upper part of the last being broken away forconservation of space;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse, vertical, cross-sectional view taken onsubstantially the line 5 5 of FIGURE 3, the upper portion of the lastbeing broken away for conservation of space;

FIGURE 6 is a ybottom plan view of a novel insole structureincorporating the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan View thereof;

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal, vertical, cross-sectional View taken onsubstantially the lined-8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURES 9, l0, and l1 are transverse, ventical, crosssectional viewstaken on substantially the lines 9 9, 1li-lll, and 11--11 of FIGURE 7;and

FIGURE l2 is an enlarged, transverse, vertical, crosssectional viewthrough the forepart or vamp of a shoe incorporating the present novelcast insole.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals, 18indicates a conventional shoe last, while 2d indicates generally amodiiied shoe last made in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention. VComparing the modiiied shoe last 201 with the conventionalshoe last 1S, the former is beveled or feathered at Z2 around the entireperimeter of the bottom or sole, as is clear from FIGURES 2-5. In a size7 last for mens shoe, for example, the bevel 22 is substantially 5%32 in`depth yat the outer edge andV feathers inwardly for a distance ofsubstantially s/z". In the longitudinal arch area, the bevel depth issubstantidly twice as great, o-r /l, and the inward featherng iscorrespondingly The island area defined by the inner circumference ofthe bevel 22 is deeper or thicker than the cornparable area of the shoelast 1S, being substantially 1/16" thicker in the center area,feathering outwardly into the bevel 22 to form a smooth continuous lastbottom, as is clearly illustrated in the drawing. Last makers providethese modiiied lasts 2S to specifications.

A mold is lmade from each modified shoe last Ztl by any desired methodin which cast insoles 26 are made.

A cast insole 26 for a size 7 mens shoe is generally of theconfiguration shown in FIGURES l6-,1'1 Vof the Y drawing. lt will beobserved that the novel molded insole 26 includes a raised longitudinalarch portion 27S, a depressed heel cavity 30, and a generally concaveportion 32 for Vthe forepart of the foot. The rmarginal edge orperiphery 33 of the cast insole 26 slopes inwardly, so that the bottom3S of the cast insole 26 has substantially the `same peripheralmeasurement or bottom outline as a standard fiat leather insole. Hence,there is no distortion outwardly of the shoe upper.

In FIGURE `12, the novel cast insole l25 is illustrated as part of ashoe 34. The shoe 34 includes the cast insole 26 disposed within a vamp36 and vamp lining 3S and above an outsole 40 which is glued to theinturned edges of the vamp 36 (upper) in the usual fashion ofshoemaking. A small amount of filler material 4Z may be disposed at eachside of the present insole 26.

It is manifest that any process of shoemaking may be employed inapplying the sole 40, such as the Goodyear welt, stitchdown, McKay, andthe like. A unique feature of the present invention is the fact that itsuse requires no change in any of the modern ymethods of shoemaking. Thecastinsole 26 is merely substituted Afor a conventional insole andmodified lasts replace conventional lasts 18.

In FIGURE l2, it is clear that the overall closed path made by followingthe vamp lining 38 and the upper surface of the cast insole 26 on atransverse vertical section is substantially the same as a similarcontinuous path formed by following the vamp lining 38 and the uppersurface of a regular flat insole 44 indicated by dotted or broken lines.The novel cast insole 26 extends above the stock flat insole 44 at thesides thereof and below it intermediate the sides. In other words, thenormally unoccupied space at the juncture of the insole and upper in anormal shoe is utilized by the present novel cast insole 26 in properlypositioning a foot. This fact and the further factor of forming the castinsole 26 centrally of a thickness less than that of the conventionalinsole 44 avoids an overtight or snug iit, and the requirement of anover-all deeper shoe, which the public .always has resisted purchasing`This is another significant feature of the present novel shoe structure.

It is manifest that the raised longitudinal portion 28 of the castinsole 26 eifects a substantial support for the longitudinal arch of thefoot. Additionally, the heel cup andthe concave foreportion of the castinsole 26 provides comfortable reception for the affected portions ofthe foot in a manner to prevent slipping `or sliding of the footbackwardly and forwardly or -sideways in the shoe 34.

There is no lumping of the insole under the toes, and rolling sidewaysof the foot to overturn or overrun the shoe either to the inside or tothe outside is prevented.

It is to be understood that speciiic dimensions of bevel and featheringwill vary with the shoe size, or type. The

Vmarginal edge lof the cast insole 26 may be varied to satisfy differentmethods of manufacture, as an integral portion may be provided forstitching.

Basically, the cast insole 26 is formed with the upper surface contouredfor the foot and to the particular last, and the bottom Vsurfacesubstantially flat and of a periphery substantially equal to theperiphery of the bottom of a conventional leather insole.

It is manifest that there has been provided a novel shoe structure. Theobjects and advantages sought therefor are achieved thereby.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and theaccompanying drawings have been given by way of illustration andexample. It is also to be understood that changes in form -of theseveral parts, substitution of equivalent elements, and rearrangement ofparts, which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, arecontemplated as within ythe scope of the present invention, which islimited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

l1. A shoe comprising an upper, an outsole, and a full insole, saidupper, Voutsole and insolev being permanently secured together, saidinsole being contoured on :its upper surface to substantially conform toa normal foot of appropriate size, and on its lower surface tocomplement the upper surface of the outsole, margins of the uppersurface of the insole being substantially greater than the margins ofthe lower surface of the insole, the upper surface of the insoleextending beyond the lower surface of the insole at a maximum in theregion of the shank under the center of the longitudinal arch of the-foot and tapering to minimums at the `toe and Aheel ends of the insole,marginal'portions of the insole being thicker than a comparable ordinaryinsole and the central portions being thinner, whereby the total volumeyofthe insole is substantially equal to that of a comparable ordinaryinsole and the total volume of the shoe is substantially equal to thatof la comparable ordinary shoe. p

2. A shoe comprising an upper, an outsole, and a full insole, saidupper, outsole and insole being permanently secured together, saidinsole being contoured on its upper surface to substantially conform toa normal foot of appropriate size, and on its lower surface tocomplement the upper surface of the outsole, margins of the uppersurface of the insole being substantially greater than the margins ofthe lower surface of the insole, the upper surface of the insoleextending beyond the lower surface of the insole at a maximum in theregion of the shank under the center of the longitudinal arch of thefoot and tapering to minimums at the toe and heel ends of the insole,marginal portions of the insole being thicker than a comparable ordinaryinsole and the central portions being thinner,

whereby the tot-al volume of the insole is substantially equal to thatof a compara-ble ordinary insole.

3. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole, said upper,outsole and insole being permanently secured together, said insole beingcontoured on its upper surface to substantially conform to the foot ofan average wearer,

the periphery of said upper surface being greater than the periphery ofsaid bottom surface, said insole having a volume substantially equal tothat of 1an equivalent ordinary insole of substantially uniformthickness.

4. A shoe comprising an upper, an insole and an outsole, said upper,outsole and insole being permanently secured together, -said insolebeing contoured on its upper surface vto substantially conform to thefootof an yaverage wearer,

' the periphery of said upper surface being greater than the peripheryof said bottom surf-ace, said insole having a volume substantially equalto that of an equivalent ordinary insole of substantially uniformthickness, the cubic capacity of said shoe adapted to receive a footbeing substantially that of a shoe with an ordinary insole ofsubstantially uniform thickness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,255,892 Krippendorf Feb. 12, 1918 `1,479,899 De Ridder Jan. 8, 19241,518,840 De Ridder Dec. 9, 1924 '1,959,876 Rich May 22, 1934 `2,427,986Whitman Sept. 23, 1947 2,838,776 Tax June 17, 1958 2,924,849 BuchmanFeb. 16, 1960 3,068,872 Brody' Dec. 18, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS V1,171,054France Sept. 29, 1958

1. A SHOE COMPRISING AN UPPER, AN OUTSOLE, AND A FULL INSOLE, SAIDUPPER, OUTSOLE AND INSOLE BEING PERMANENTLY SECURED TOGETHER, SAIDINSOLE BEING CONTOURED ON ITS UPPER SURFACE TO SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORM TOA NORMAL FOOT OF APPROPRIATE SIZE, AND ON ITS LOWER SURFACE TOCOMPLEMENT THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE OUTSOLE, MARGINS OF THE UPPERSURFACE OF THE INSOLE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE MARGINS OFTHE LOWER SURFACE OF THE INSOLE, THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE INSOLEEXTENDING BEYOND THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE INSOLE AT A MAXIMUM IN THEREGION OF THE SHANK UNDER THE CENTER OF THE LONGITUDINAL ARCH OF THEFOOT AND TAPERING TO MINIMUNS AT THE TOE AND HEEL ENDS OF THE INSOLE,MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE INSOLE BEING THICKER THAN A COMPERABLE ORDINARYINSOLE AND THE CENTRAL PORTIONS BEING THINNER, WHEREBY THE TOTAL VOLUMEOF THE INSOLE IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT OF A COMPARABLE ORDINARYINSOLE AND THE TOTAL VOLUME OF THE SHOE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THAT OF ACOMPARABLE ORDINARY SHOE.